Sentinel and Guide
by HonorSkywalker
Summary: Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief. Methos has been a lot of things over the years, these are just some of them


Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief

Summary: Methos has seen and done a lot of things over the last many thousands of years. This is just one story of many detailing some of them. This story is a series of chapters with each chapter showing some of these livings and/or lifestyles.

Story Note: I know that somewhere it mentions that Methos is actually really 5000 years old whereabouts but I choose to go with the popular fan fiction myth that he is actually older than even that.

Disclaimer: I don't own HL, the Sentinel, X:WP or The New Adventures of Robin Hood.

Sentinel and Guide

Time/Date: Many, many centuries ago - roughly 10,000 years ago.  
>Location: Middle East - In what modern historians would come to call the Fertile Crescent.<p>

The memories are hazy and only a few things really stand out after all of this time. What Methos did remember was that it was one of the first signs that his fellow humans were changing.

They were learning how to grow crops and how to tame animals and how to make clay pots for cooking and used mud bricks for building places to live. In effect they were creating farming villages and were therefore settling into place as a result.

For Methos who was one of the few chosen watchmen of those villages it was also his privilege to watch them grow . . . and he did so in amazement.

He spent centuries protecting his community from trouble and with many generations of the Villages Wise Men guiding him. He was very happy living that way as the community appreciated his protection and he was never lonely, one of the few times in his long life time that he could live freely and not worry about how those who he lived with would treat him.

He would have happily continued living like that if he could've. Unfortunately that was not meant to be. A fellow watchman had intruded upon his territory, and not just any watchman. No this watchman was not protecting those around him but rather causing death and destruction of the surrounding villages.

Methos went out alone to face the killer, refusing to let his Guide come with him and he had no wish to see anyone else harmed. And in the process of fighting said killer Methos was killed at the same time he was.

For the first time in many centuries Methos had died.

And when he revived he discovered to his horror that his senses were no longer enhanced. He could no longer feel that need to protect the territory that he had been protecting for so long.

He had stumbled back to his village after cleaning the blood off himself, and had discovered that over the many days that he had been away and then dead that the village had gained a new Watchman. Unable to stay there any longer as his own presence seemed to threaten the new Watchman's, Methos left the area and traveled around looking for something new to do, a new way to live.

That was the first but by no means the last time that Methos had been a Watchman. However he will always remember that first time with a certain bittersweet fondness.

Time/Date: Ancient Times  
>Location: Ancient Europe - Greece<p>

The first time he had the opportunity to act as a Guide surprised Methos for two reasons. One being that acting as a Guide was something he never expected to happen, and two being that he had never seen himself as the type of Man of being capable of taking on a Guide's role. Nevertheless a Guide is what he had become.

However his first time in that role isn't the one that sticks out most in his mind.

The one that does was when he was traveling by himself and kept finding himself encountering persons who would become the stuff of legends.

It was while he was traveling through Ancient Greece that he met the woman who would become a legend for more than just being a Sentinel.

As he thinks of it later he presumes that it was his own chaotic past as a Horseman as well as his personal experiences of being a Sentinel that led him to her, she who needed him and his knowledge the most at that time . . . the Warrior Princess otherwise known as Xena.

When Methos first met Xena it was during the first period of time that she had left Ares' service as a Warlord to travel around the world. That time before she return to Ares service and faced Hercules. She, like many other Sentinels, had spent time isolated from the human race for some time and had her senses awaken fully during that time. He had helped her adjust to her extended senses and given her an idea of things she needed to be wary about that could cause her to get lost in her senses. But then he had to let her go. She wasn't ready to fully take on the Watch woman role and he couldn't force her to.

The second time he had come across Xena she had left Ares for real this time and had just picked up her weapons again to fight the Warlord that was attacking a village. She had also just gained a traveling companion in the little blonde would be bard. He traveled with them for a time, as he recognized Gabrielle for the potential Guide that she was. He taught her what he could so that she could help Xena.

He came across them several times after that, all under the Pseudonym Joxer. That had been an interesting persona to take, and a fun one to play.

The final time he met Xena as Xena had been at her own graveside. Ares and Gabrielle had left the area and Xena had revived in her burial place. Methos had dug her out of it.

It was time to be her Guide in a different way now, that of one to immortality.

Time/Date: Late 1800's  
>Location: England<p>

Methos had taken the time to go over his personal journals and created copies of those so that the memories that had faded over time wouldn't be completely lost.

He had also made sure to buy over a dozen copies of many of the more interesting Texts that he had come across over the years.

One of those books being Sir Richard Francis Burton's book on the Sentinels and was quite fascinated by what information that the explorer had managed to collate for it.

Methos could admit the he had admired what the mortal explorer had done with his life and the way he had sought to learn more about the world around him and the information he had gathered about Sentinels although not complete was rather well compiled considering it came from someone who was neither a Sentinel nor a Guide.

He decided that keeping copies on hand would be a good idea if he ever came across a new Guide or Sentinel in the future.

Time/Date: Closer to now  
>Location: In a commune in the States<p>

Having found himself back in the States Methos was drawn towards the communes where people didn't care of where you came from, just about who you were then.

He had been in this particular commune for roughly a week when he came across the young mother and son. Or rather it was the bright young boy whose presence shone brightly with his potential. Methos took the time to get to know him and discovered a sharp intellect to go with his potential. For the first time in years Methos decided to dig up his rusty teaching skills and to help young Blair begin the first steps on the path to becoming a Scholar. Blair's mother Naomi, although unsure at first, decided that it couldn't hurt and she stayed in the commune for longer than she usually would so that Blair could continue to learn.

So when they finally departed each others' company it was actually Methos who had to leave suddenly.

However before he left, he made sure that he left most of the books he had on hand to the budding Scholar, one of them being a certain book by Sir Richard Francis Burton.

(This is the section that I'm most not as satisfied with if you get my drift. I'm not very good at dialog, I keep wanting to write "he said, she said" like in the old children's books would go. Come to think of it, it was when I was still in Single digits in age that I was last fully satisfied in what I wrote. Does anyone else feel like that or is it just me?)

Time/Date: Over a decade later  
>Location: Cascade, Washington  Seacouver, Washington

Adam Pierson was visiting the Cascade area and more particularly his old friend who was currently going by the name Megan Conner. He had first known her as Lady Marian Fitzwalter the woman who had helped Robin of Loxley to defend the land from the Sheriff of Nottingham's tyrannical ambitions.

She had asked his help in finding some information about a case she was currently working on.

They were walking towards her desk at the Cascade PD and he was telling her about being in between jobs at the moment and needing to get away from the bad influence of the Boy Scout.

Megan was laughing over his grumbling.

The others in the area were watching them in shock. They had never seen Megan being so friendly with anyone before.

Sitting at her desk Adam removed the information she wanted, in the form of a folder, out of his book bag. Megan almost pounced on the information in her eagerness.

As she was buried in the folder, Adam took the chance to look about in curiosity. He hadn't been inside police station for years and was interested in the differences between that one and this one. Being more updated was just one of the differences.

He was distracted from his observations by the entrance of a two familiar, yet one of them unfamiliar as well, presences entering the room. The unfamiliar yet familiar presence was obviously, at least to Methos' experience and knowledge, a Sentinel. The familiar presence was the potential Guide he had met over a decade ago, and who had obviously since then become the Guide for the Sentinel that seemed to be unconsciously hovering protectively over his companion.

He was curious to see how the two would react to his presence and if Blair would recognize him after all of this time.

Watching as they glanced over and saw him, Adam saw them both glance at each other and have a silent conversation that only those who had to rely on each other with secrets and life and death experiences could. Then they made their way towards him.

Blair had a quizzical look on his face as if he was trying to place where he recognized some vaguely familiar about Methos.

Adam wondered how he could spin this.

Adam was introduced to Det. Jim Ellison and his observer Blair Sandburg by Megan.

"Why are you observing the good Detective?" Adam inquired curiously, quirking an eyebrow at Blair.

"I'm writing a dissertation on the 'Thin Blue Line' and the closed society of the police force. It's for my Anthropology Doctorate."

"So I take it that you're a Rainer student?"

Blair smiled brightly at him. "Yes I am. I take it you are familiar with Rainer."

"Guilty," Adam shrugged, "I studied History and Ancient and Modern Languages at the Sorbonne and I've been teaching at Seacouver."

"I almost ended up studying there" Blair admitted "But in the end it was more financially beneficial to study at Rainer."

Adam pulled a personalized business card from his wallet and gave it to the still enthusiastic man. "We should get together later and we can talk about the perils of academia."

Blair pulled out a card of his own and exchanged his for Adams card.

"For sure."

Adam stood fluidly and made his way around the desk to lightly kiss Megan on the forehead, much like he had done when she was still young in the world.

"You can keep the folder Young Lady and I'll catch you later." He smirked at her.

"Who are you calling young Old Man" she snarked back, and then smiled and smooched him back on his cheek. "Thanks for your help."

"For you Luv, anything."

Then he strode swiftly from the building.

Time/Date: In the Evening  
>Location: 852 Prospect Ave, apartment 307 Cascade, WA<p>

Adam was unsurprised when the door opened before he had a chance to knock on it, and even less surprised to see that it was Jim that had been the one to open it and to usher him inside.

He waited until he was sitting on the couch with a beer in hand after a nice meal filled with conversation mainly between Adam and Blair, before pulling out a familiar looking book and placing it on the coffee table.

Adam had decided on which way and what part of himself that he wanted to reveal to them.

Blair picked the book up carefully and then showed it to Jim who also looked stunned.

"What . . . ?"

"I'm also a Guide," he revealed to them, "and have known I was for a large part of my life."

Both of his hosts looked struck almost mute at that, but it didn't seem to be enough to keep Blair stunned in silence because the next thing Adam knew he was being bombarded with a dozen different questions and signs of plenty more to come. Adam held his hand out in a gesture to halt the barrage.

Methos decided to reveal a few other details that were mostly true. "I have never had a full Sentinel to Guide," he spoke sadly, wistfully, and was truthfully sad about that but determined not to let that regret get to him. He missed that close connection. "But I have come across a few Sentinels in my travels around the world and have also come across Guides as well. Some of them have been bonded pairs like you two are and some I have actually helped in different ways." Adam paused and took a long swig of his beer before continuing. "I have helped lonely Sentinels with their Senses until they have found the Guide for them and I have helped train Guides in how to assist the Sentinels that they have connected or will connect with."

Blair scrambled for a pen and a pad then spent the next few hours picking at the knowledge about Sentinels and Guides that Adam held. Jim just looked on in pity and supplied him with enough beer to withstand hurricane Blair.

Later on when Blair had seemed to run out of steam, Adam decided to put his two pence worth into Blair's diverse dissertations.

"Look I know that doing research on the Thin Blue Line is supposed to be a cover but have you actually really done any research for it." Adam was really curious about this.

And just like that Blair's energy seemed to return along with his enthusiasm and the two of them went over the impressive amount of information gathered.

Before he left Adam left Blair to ponder over some serious thoughts and decisions that he had to make in regards to his dissertation choices.

Including:

~ Do you realize just how much of a Hornets nest you would kick up if you actually publish the Sentinel based one and just how many people would be affected by it going public, including you and Jim? ~

Time/Date: Weeks later  
>Location: Joe's Blues Bar, Seacouver Washington<p>

Sitting at the bar with a beer untouched next to him, something that he was aware was surprising to those that knew him, was Adam Pierson.

The reason for his preoccupation being the papers he was currently immersed in.

Finishing the last page he carefully replaced the papers in the folder that they had come from before finally picking up the beer.

He was glad that the kid had taken his advice.

The sound of his cell/mobile phone ringing caught his attention before he could take a drink.

"Pierson."

"Greetings, Old Man." It was Marian aka Megan.

"Young Lady, what can I do for you?"

"Well first I just want to say thank you for the information you got me. With that we have been able to finally stop a human smuggling operation." Before he could say anything in response she just kept right in talking. "And secondly Sandy and by Sandy I mean Blair has been accepted into the Police Academy and has been offered a job after he graduates in the Major Crimes division by Captain Banks. I've heard tell that his dissertation is going to become required reading at the Academy."

Methos looked down at the title that had been inserted into the folders plastic clear casing.

To Serve And Protect  
>Life Behind the Thin Blue Line<br>By Blair Sandburg

"Good for him."

The end.

AUTHOR NOTE:

I wasn't actually going to add this last part when I first started writing this story. But as I began writing the first part the last just seemed to flow from the first one. Please let me know what you think, this is my first attempt at writing anything to do with Sentinels and Guides.

I think I've been reading too many series of drabbles turned stories lately, you know like having 30 drabbles that when read in chronological order make a wonderful slide show instead of a full length production. I have come to appreciate them as they don't get drowned with the stuff that is usually needed to flesh out a full length story and which can distract from basic story line.


End file.
